album reviews

For those among us who appreciate the incendiary goodness of an electric guitar soloist fully unleashed, what Eddie Brnabic does with his album Subtle Realms is positively buzzworthy, particularly on “Transcendental Wine,” an intense throwdown which illustrates his ability to trip with ease between full-throttle rock and raw oozing funk. This is instrumental music built custom for the headphone treatment, and it’s worth every effort to listen to while avoiding all other distractions. Keep an ear toward this kid — you’ll hear much more from him when this album takes off. You can stream the entire album via his Bandcamp page.

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They came. They saw. They clouded. And while they were at it, this Brooklyn psych-rock outfit crafted Freakin’ Out The Squares, an album of supremely addictive tracks that showcase their sound, one immediately awash in jangling guitars, slightly fogged vocals and all the melodic hooks you can handle. Don’t believe me? Play “Broadcast Victim” and you’ll be a fan for life. This is the music we murdered the gatekeepers for hiding it from us! Hear all their music at http://clouder.bandcamp.com.

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With the pop kick of Rilo Kiley coupled with the hooks of Kasey Musgraves and Lindi Ortega,l Angela Perley and the Howlin’ Moons hit like a full-on tropical wave with Hey Kid and lead single “Hurricane.” This is the music you should play to friends who say there’s nothing country music can offer, while also bolstering the hooks which could fuel pop-country radio if they focused on musicians with the chops to play to classic and modern influences. Clearly these tracks showcase an artist who’s at home as a cultural observer:

Growing up in small town Ohio, Perley spent years as an observant wallflower engrossing herself in poetry, literature, people, and films. “I am a storyteller at heart, always have been. I get a lot of inspiration from relationships, surroundings, poetry, and old movies. Music for me is a way to express feelings I can’t get out any other way, and when I hit the stage with the band I can turn up and let go.”

The album officially comes out January 21st, and features more than just the single, including “Athens” and “George Stone” which help front-load the listening experience with material worthy of consistent repetition. But “Hurricane” definitely sums up the band’s sound, giving the “something real” she seems to honestly feel straight down to the bone. “You and I you know we are the same,” she howls early in the proceedings as crunchy lead guitar and thundering percussion provide a backdrop as intense as the storm in her heart. The chorus of “whoah whoahs” and stacatto “ha”s further showcases the Rilo Kiley influence, reiterating just how much of an earworm this song is.

Check it out below and then visit the band’s official website to ensure you get your copy the day of release. This isn’t an album you’ll want to miss, as these Howlin’ Moons are ones you’ll want to revel beneath well into 2014.

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Si, soy un perdedor, but I’m loving how much fun Slippertails are making out of my eternal nostalgia for early-90s alt-sludge.

These New Jersey-ites have soaked in everything that made Beck’s Mellow Gold and Nirvana’s Bleach so mind-bendingly addictive and they’ve put it through a punk-rock blender, creating a photocopy of their own “Garden State of Mind.” However you look at it, songs like “Hip New Jerk” require one to immediately forego the headphone treatment, instead blasting these sludgy, instantly deep-grooving tracks to the masses, demanding they pay attention.

You can stream the entire album now on the band’s Bandcamp page, and you should do so quickly, for There’s A Disturbing Trend serves to showcase just how good modern alternative music can be when you forget about trends altogether and simply rock. Now that’s a novel idea!

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It’s been a few weeks, so the dust has had time to settle on Kanye West and Jay-Z’s latest albums. For the sake of reviewing, I did not want to touch them because EVERYONE has to analyze and dissect these things for the real underlying message and what it means for us as a generation. That is, we the sophisticated music listeners.

It’s pretentious for someone to think they can listen to Yeezus and come away with a well-formulated analysis of society. We cannot relate to this music. Anyone who “get’s it” is lying. Here’s a random lyric: “Okay, I smashed your Corolla, I’m hanging on a hangover. Five years we been over, ask me why I came over. One more hit and I can own ya, one more **** and I can own ya.” It’s like a deleted scene from Project X. Even though some of his earlier work had this sort of late-night masquerade material, it was real. He had fought through incredible odds and was able to achieve his ultimate dream and share it with the common man in his first three albums. Then he poured his personal emotional struggles into 808s and Heartbreak, while My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was more on the artsy side. Now we’re far past that. He is so far beyond the normal lifestyle that he can’t possibly reach us from his galactic pedestal. Aesthetically, Yeezus is superb. But, like Kanye’s persona, the album’s glossy and appealing exterior can only do so much to cover up a hollow interior. And his ego, which I find rather charming, won’t allow him to see this. There is but one other man who can relate…

Magna Carta…Holy Grail is easier to ingest. If you put “JAY Z BLUE” aside, there are two themes to the album: ‘Fame is hard’ and ‘I am famous.’ I like Jay-Z, at least I think I do, but I don’t see his need to make music right now. Judging by the Samsung marketing, this album was merely proving a point that he is better at life than you: “I can have a platinum album by GIVING it away, you bums! AND I’ll still have enough money to sign Clark Kent to play for the Nets!” It’s sickening. I still haven’t deleted that app from my phone yet, so there might be an air strike heading my way before I can hit “Send.” But in the aforementioned “JAY Z BLUE,” there’s a real heart of a man trying to be a better father than his own. Great moment. Also, note that every rapper has a daughter and a corresponding song dedicated to her. Seriously, everyone I could think of does.

I realize that those are quasi-reviews, but here are the real ones:

Robin Thicke – Blurred Lines

It has come to my attention that until recently, Robin Thicke has not been very popular with music listeners. Ever since his A Beautiful World debuted in 2003, he’s only seen a significant uptick in popularity in his seductive “Lost Without U.” Other than that, it’s been five albums of relative silence, but I only thought that was because of the content. He cranks out some of the best modern bedroom albums out there, which isn’t a big sell for the radio. Still, I thought people were paying attention while being too ashamed to talk about it. Then this “Blurred Lines” nonsense came out and he’s back to relevance with his sixth album by the same name. It’s genius, really. Instead of the usual slow jam, Thicke took the Timberlake/Usher route and started cranking out more upbeat hits while keeping the provocative material. Justin Timberlake went a different direction with his The 20/20 Experience, so Blurred Lines is here to take it’s place with some endearing funky-smooth beats. No bedtime songs for you.

“Take it Easy on Me” sounds like it came off of FutureSex/LoveSounds, right down to Timbaland’s signature interruptions. “Get in My Way” is a throwback boogie-jam, but I’m not sure if that or “Give It to U” is the next over-played single. Regardless, we were in a mega-hit dry spell, now we have our artist of the moment. Let’s just see how long it’ll last.

Backstreet Boys - In a World Like This

In case you haven’t been keeping up, here’s a quick run-down of what BSB has been up to the past few years:

2006 – Kevin leaves the band; the Boys soldier on.

2007 – Release album six, Unbreakable. (One of their best albums though not widely recognized as such.)

2009 – Release album seven, This is Us. (This is not them. Tried to fit into the Lady Gaga/Justin Bieber pop landscape with super-bubbly hits, which is not how BSB does business.)

2011 – Leave Jive Records. (Later created an independent label called K-BAHN – an anagram of the first letters of each member’s name.)

2012 – Kevin returns, legacy restored.

With full creative control on In a World Like This, this eighth studio album is what makes the Backstreet Boys the greatest boy band that will ever walk this earth. I’ve mentioned this before, but I don’t think their status atop the pop Pantheon can even be questioned at this point, no disrespect to NKOTB. They have the longevity, the talent and the integrity of a dynasty. But incidentally, I can’t imagine these songs popping up all over the radio like the BSB of yesteryear. This isn’t a record for adolescents. Much like Hanson’s new album, the mature quality of In a World Like This might be to it’s detriment, at least commercially. You get this vision in your head that a boy band is supposed to appeal to young girls with their catchy, guilt-ridden songs you can’t seem to escape. And because of who they were, it’s hard to embrace who they are, even when they have tolerable hits for a more or less universal audience. Their updated “Similar Artist” page should include Lifehouse and maybe The Calling, not so much N*Sync and 98 Degrees.

I hate it when the title track/lead single is the best song on the album, but that’s the case here. “In a World Like This” has a youthful edge while retaining BSB’s adult-alternative sophistication. So is this any kind of groundbreaking display of musicianship? Not at all. Only “Permanent Stain” and “Make Believe” stood out on first listen and the rest faded into background noise. But it was pleasant, which is more than I can say about a One Direction album. That’s how it should be for the Backstreet Boys in 2013: wholesome and sincere. They had their time to release hit after hit and do extensive touring, but being 40-years-old ruins those ambitions. The members probably prefer it this way because they have families, kids, and reasons to come home.

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No addicting singles by a inadequate artists being jammed down our esophagus. “Radioactive” is finally becoming inactive. Pink is only played 13,256 times per day, down from the usual 24,890. We can breathe. Our precious air supply is, for the moment, untainted.

But something is coming. It always does, and it’s terrifying. The next time you hear a song with an “Ooohh,” “Lalalala” or any other wordless chant you can memorize after one listen, run. These are the demon seeds that take root into our society and grow to ostentatious heights. I guarantee that the next radio addiction will prominently feature this. [Editor’s note — unless it’s by Adam Duritz … then bring on the “Lalalala’s”]

The catchy, mindless little sounds create havoc on our ears and we don’t even need to pay attention before we are singing along to Lady Gaga, whether we like it or not: “Ro ma, ro ma ma, ga ga, ooh lala, WHATCHUPA ROMANCE.” Maroon 5 has mastered this technique with the whistles in “Moves Like Jagger,” the “ooh-ooh” sequence in “One More Night” and countless other songs. The Biebs does it, as does Taylor Swift (Oooh-woo-ooh-ooh-ooh/We-eeeee). I’m sure the pop industry hooked onto this formula years ago and now cranks those hooks out like worthless iPhone apps. The list goes on, but put on a top-40 station and you’ll take notice.

I can’t find research to back up these findings, but how else do you explain Nickelback’s rise to power? I once saw an interview with Chad Kroeger where he talked about the reason “How You Remind Me” was so popular. It was the “Yeah, yeah” part. It’s so simple, but they found out how to stick in our ears in an effective way. “When We Stand Together” might be their catchiest song and the chorus is perforated with “yeah”s. It’s no coincidence. Say what you want about that band, but they rode a wave of success off that nugget of information, as have many others. It’s clever marketing.

And there’s nothing really wrong with it. There’s nothing wrong with us liking it, either, because sometimes music is a release, not a cryptic message. If we don’t know the words to the song on every station, at least we can get the easy part. Still, it’s sort of degrading harmonizing to Selena Gomez on the drive home. But the main problem is that as long as you live like a normal human being, there’s no way to avoid them. And another one’s coming.

LALALALALALALA…

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The Lonely Island – The Wack Album

Analyzing music can get immensely draining, mostly because there’s a lot of garbage to sift through. Also, the music industry can be downright evil (see above).

Before you dismiss The Lonely Island as the musical equivalent to the spitball-firing class clown, remember that we all have our role to play. Andy Samburg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone’s faux-rap trio has yet to take itself seriously, even on this, their third album. That’s important. The Lonely Island may represent musical satire, but the content tells you the exact state we are in as a society. It’s smart enough to know how to make fun of common trends and self-aware enough to present it with charm. This includes the mindless way we dance to absurd songs, the ridiculousness of the “YOLO” meme and strutting as a not-so-tough rapper. Oh, and there are songs about hugs, the semicolon and compliments, because of course.

And they actually make pretty good music, which gets lost in the buffoonery. But for TLI, it’s not all about comedians making jokes through song. It’s what their musical purity brings out in their guests by representing caricatures of themselves.

As with the previous two albums, The Wack Album is an A-list bonanza. Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell and Too $hort have some ironically comical rapping cameos, which is a standard Lonely Island shtick. Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong shines in “I Run NY” and it’s unlike anything he has ever released. Best hook on the album. Sick beats and punk rock seem to pair well with each other. And coming off of his Le Miserables success, Hugh Jackman wails as this album’s Michael Bolton. Only TLI could take a classy, dignified Oscar-winner and feature him singing about breasts in “You’ve Got the Look.” Kristen Wiig also kind of sings in that track, surprise. Solange gets some exposure in “Semicolon,” and we already know the chemistry Justin Timberlake has with these guys.

I’d imagine each guest star welcomes the opportunity to be on these tracks because there are no rules holding them down. I have so much respect for all of the artists listed above. Being an entertainer is a serious business and there needs to be a liaison to show us that not everyone is a bland square. There are plenty of victims at the expense of dirty jokes, but if Diddy can handle it, so can we.

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Jimmy Eat World – Damage

One day while creating an iPod playlist, I had to do a double-take in the Jimmy Eat World section. I’ve never thought of the band as a favorite; it’s merely an acquaintance with which I don’t have a problem, but I don’t . But there were a shocking number of 5-star rated songs on there. Like, way more than most bands I LOVE. So I began to give them more of a listen and became a supporter, if only out of my own guilty neglect.

I was ready for Damage to release. So I listened to it. Then I had to check to see if this was a B-side collection or something. This is so typical. Whenever you start liking something years after it has been around, the new stuff is a letdown. And now I’m blinded by my own tastes and disappointment to give this the positive review it probably deserves. Here’s why: That collection of 5-Star songs included singles like “Pain,” “My Best Theory,” “A Praise Chorus,” along with some lesser-known tracks. But it all had ENERGY. I could crank a homerun at Yankee Stadium from the adrenaline pumping through those songs.

Damage is not that. It’s a love/breakup album from the same bracket as a Dashboard Confessional or Yellowcard. And for the most part, this album is heavy on the acoustic sound, which goes back to their earlier work. It’s like they took their big sound they built up over the years and stripped it down for a more intimate feel. But it was the best way to convey these emotions and that counts for everything. The final two tracks, “Byebyelove” and “You Were Good,” got to me, capping a bit of a gloomy ride. To someone who isn’t in that state of mind, this album and I just didn’t sync up. But it wouldn’t be fair to them or you to say that this was a “bad” album. If you are going through some kind of heartache, Damage could make for decent pain relief this summer.

“I Will Steal You Back” is the lead single and probably the best song here. And for energy, “How’d You Have Me” has the biggest serving. There are beneficial takeaways from a rather somber album, but I wasn’t ready and I had a bad experience. I hope that you find them just as I hope that this album finds those who need it.

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Matthew Lindblad definitely has plenty of experience as part of the Orange County music scene. A multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter, Lindblad played guitar with the band New Years Day, which gave him a taste of mainstream success including Warped Tour experience. Now he’s teamed up with Gus Flaig (drums) and Chris Chavez (guitars, vocals) to form Rebel Revive, a band which is able to draw on Lindblad’s experiences with rock influences both old and new, to create a sound they can call their own.

The result is XI, a hybrid of pop, rock and punk influences named for the eleven years Lindblad has spent performing his music in the area. “The Voices,” the EP’s standout single, features a fresh musical backdrop which reminds this critic of Blink 182 or Cartel if they were filtered through the Slip (must hear: “Even Rats”), with the band singing a chorus of “whooooah-oh-oh!”s as Lindblad claims they have the voices, silent for too long, which will now speak for a generation. While that may be an overreaching statement, the chorus itself is incredibly ear-catching and repeatable.

The rest of the EP builds on that hook to create songs which are memorable and instantly accessible. With “Better Days” and “Stars” standing out as potential future singles, there’s no reason to expect this album to fade away anytime soon. If anything, expect your appetite to be barely whetted. You’ll have to settle for repeating the six songs and hoping it won’t be too long before the band puts together the epic full-length this hints lies just over the horizon.

XI officially drops tomorrow, but if you’re ready to go for a musical ride, “Hear! Hear!” has the entire album streaming exclusively today! So strap on your headphones and press play, then make sure you share this music with everyone you know with good taste. You may have heard it first, but they’ll all want to ride your coattails.